Beautiful, Courageous You Noosa Event: ONLY 50 Tickets available for this One-Day Event held Saturday October 1st at RACV Noosa Pre-purchase tickets essential – no tickets available on the day of event.

“As a counsellor working with many who come in for help with depression, I have just found a valuable resource to assist them bust out of the darkness that overwhelms them – “Beautiful Courageous You”. Many clients struggle with the ‘how to’ of breaking out from depression. This book gives insight into how to take those first small steps out of despair and turn towards hope. A brilliant easy to read text with hope language filling every page!” – Michelle

By popular request, I am handcrafting essential oil roll on perfumes with a blend of the oils I personally used and found to be very effective in easing the symptoms of anxiety & depression. These exquisite perfumes are almost ready and can be pre-ordered here in the comments!

Aromatherapy is the art and science of blending essential oils for therapeutic, cosmetic and mood enhancing applications. Each essential oil has its own unique therapeutic properties, exhibiting highly aromatic extracts taken from tiny oil glands in the flowers, roots, stalks, bark, seeds, leaves, gum or rind of plants.

In Biblical times essential oils were used for healing, anointing and as a fragrance for the hair and body; in fact the Hebrew word for anointing means to rub or massage a person with oil. Now this wasn’t just a bottle of vegetable oil poured over someone, we know this by the anointing oil recipe the Lord gave to Moses in Exodus 30:22-31, where the Israelites were instructed to make anointing oil with myrrh, fragrant cane, cinnamon and cassia in a medium of olive oil.

The Bible mentions aroma and incense throughout the scriptures. Frankincense, my favourite, was added to the grain offering as “a soothing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 2:1-2, NKJV). In Matthew 2:11 we read how the wise men brought gifts of Frankincense and Myrrh to the new born Jesus and in the Gospel of John, Mary, sister of Lazarus, took a pint of nard, also called Spikenard, a very costly essential oil, and anointed the feet of Jesus (John 12:3). There are many examples of essential oils being used in Biblical times.

Personally, I have found aromatherapy to be an easy and effective tool for when I need an emotional lift; most nights it is prayer and a drop of Lavender oil on my pillow to induce a deep peaceful sleep.

During my journey through depression I had a spritzer (an essential oil blend with a base of water) of lavender, bergamot and rose geranium (all indicated to relieve nervous tension, anxiety, stress and insomnia), which I would use every morning, and some days every hour. Closing my eyes I would spray the beautiful blend across my face, breathing deeply and feeling the almost instant calming effects of the aromas.

Our sense of smell is the only sense that is hard wired straight to the brain

When the nose identifies an aroma it travels up the nasal cavity where millions of olfactory sensors are located. Via the olfactory bulb, the aroma is sent directly to the centre of the brain, to the limbic system, the part of our brain that governs our emotions.

When the aroma is processed, neurochemicals are released, causing an emotional or physical response (relaxing, stimulating, sedative etc.) Our brains’ interpretation of the aroma will determine the reaction.

An understanding of the science behind aromatherapy helps explain how a fragrance or applied oil can have some very profound physiological and psychological effects. It works for me, not as some magic potion or an instant “fix” for a problem, but rather in conjunction with other healing approaches for the spirit, soul and body.

I read a really encouraging and inspiring book this week by Australian author Lauralee Berrill. Lauralee shares her journey from the depths of depression to the Divine discovery of freedom through the love and healing power of Jesus. The book is written in an authentic, raw format that draws the reader in to walk closely with the author.
There were definitely tears on my part as I ‘witnessed’ the incredible pain and trauma Lauralee walked through when she lost three of her own sweet babes, experiencing the despair naturally becoming of such agony. As she rose to victory over depression, stress and anxiety, my heart rejoiced with her every step of the way.
In her book, Beautiful Courageous YOU, Lauralee shares a wholistic approach to overcoming depression through nourishing our mind, body & spirit. Her views are perfectly approachable, easy to understand and void of formulas and strict theories which tend to discourage rather than inspire toward action.

If you love reading books written straight from the heart, LOADED with hope yet spiced with reality, you’ll certainly take well to this fantastic book. If you’re a woman struggling with depression/stress/anxiety or know someone who is, I can highly recommend this book!
Thank you @beautifulcourageousyou for sharing your heart for the Glory of our King and the healing of His people! 🌸 Contact @beautifulcourageousyou to grab a copy of a life-giving book – Jose